On a Letter from “Southern Workers”

Published:Iskra, No. 13, December 20, 1901.

      Published according to theIskratext.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Foreign Languages Publishing House,1961,

      Moscow,Volume 5,

      page326.Translated:Transcription\Markup:R. CymbalaandD. WaltersPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive

      (2003).You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

Wehave received a letter from “Southern Workers” welcoming
      the strengthening of the revolutionary current in Russian Social-Democracy
      and asking us to convey their greetings to the League of Russian
      Revolutionary Social- Democracy Abroad. Unfortunately we cannot print the
      letter in full, due to lack of space. We are in complete accord with the
      authors of the letter that “the methods adopted in Russia for
      bringing revolutionary ideas to the masses through proclamations are not
      adequate for educating the masses to political consciousness”, that
      “it is essential to establish a special literature for the political
      education of the Russian proletariat”. But their proposal to issue,
      for that purpose, popular pamphlets of three or four pages to be
      distributed “simultaneously throughout Russia” is hardly
      feasible. We hold that the Russian proletariat is now mature enough for
      the type of publication that is serviceable to all other
      classes—viz., newspapers. Only a political newspaper can really
      educate the masses to become politically conscious and, in the words of
      the letter, throw light on “the whole of our social life, from the
      fourth estate to the big bourgeoisie”. Only an All-Russian news
      paper, if actively supported by all committees and local study circles,
      can achieve distribution more or less “simultaneously throughout
      Russia” and be published frequently enough to deserve the name of
      newspaper. Only the firm establishment of a revolutionary organ of this
      type can mark the transition of our movement from “strikes and the
      economic struggle to the broad revolutionary struggle against the Russian
      autocratic government”.